Operation: Cirrus
by Zoram Selrof
Summary: Sequel to The Hand of Wisdom. Winter vacations have kicked off and the year 2205, this adventure-filled year, is coming to a close soon enough. Yet this year is saving up one last adventure for Subaru & co. given how he suddenly disappears. The Satella Police begin a race against the clock to find him and to prevent a complot which could spell doom for the whole of Japan...
1. Chapter 1: Winter vacations

**Operation: Cirrus**

**By Zoram Selrof**

**Chapter 1: Winter Vacations**

10:33 AM (Japan Time), Saturday December the 17th, 2205…

"… My soul's burning! Bring it on, twerp!"

"Rock…"

"Heh, heh, heh. So?"

"So what?"

"Did ya go out in a date with Tsukasa~ already?"

"No. He's still in need of crutches to properly walk. His legs ended up pretty badly after having been deprived of proper exercise for over a year and a half. So stop saying nonsense."

"I know what ya fear the most, Subari~!"

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"That the press uncovers that ya are the writer of "Albert's Adventures", the best-selling non-fiction work of the season!"

"Alright. I'll admit to that one."

"Heh, heh, heh…"

Hoshikawa Subaru, aged 13 and wearing his usual set of clothes including the "Visualizer" was trying to cope with the annoying jokes of War – Rock while trying to solve what looked like homework.

"But for safety's sake I went to visit the publisher with my "Albert" disguise and ID so not even he knows who I really am. I delivered the files on hand using the Hunter – VG registered to "Kazimura Albert" as well so he won't get a clue from there and he can't just ring up the Satella Police and ask for the address because the laws to protect data on minor would come into effect. In short: they can't find me out."

"Heh, heh, heh. Ya could do the spy one day in Misora's drama series, wouldn't that be cool?"

"No. End of the topic."

"So! Are ya gonna date Tsukasa on St. Valentine day~?"

"NO! And shut up already or else you know what's in store for you, War Rock!" Subaru snapped.

"A Jeet Kee Duno combo?"

"No! Boss will store you in the server and you won't come out until you apologize for all your harassing! And I'll handle things on my own with Blood's solo Denpa – Henkan ability, too!" Subaru growled.

"Crap!" War Rock gasped.

"Go joke with Moon Disaster!"

"Well… Might if ya beg."

"Beg? Me? Do ya really think that'll work?" Subaru looked skeptical and annoyed.

"Oh! Look! _Paparazzi_! There, the window!"

"No way!"

Subaru ran up to the upper section and looked out yet there was no one in sight: he gasped and hit a switch to lower the blinders: he sighed in relief and turned around to see that War – Rock was gone.

"You're not gonna tell me I fell for it." He grimly muttered.

"Next piece on the news: the police have just confirmed that the so-called _Alphabet Killer_ has claimed the last scheduled victim, his 26th insofar. The deceased is a Sharo Nation gentleman aged 48, single, named Zakarof – sama." A voice rang out from the Hunter – VG.

"26th…! The guy did it, in the end…!" Subaru grimly muttered.

He felt a shiver go down his spine…

10:44 AM (Japan Time)…

"… So! Gonta! Kizamaro! I've gathered you two here because there's VERY IMPORTANT stuff to discuss!"

"Eh… And what's that, _iinchou_?"

"Come on, Gonta – kun. Isn't it obvious?"

"Buro~! Totally!"

"Exactly."

"Ops."

Shirogane Luna, Ushijima Gonta and Saishouin Kizamaro had gathered along with their Wizards Ox, Pedia and Mode: Luna didn't look in a good mood, Gonta didn't seem to catch up on things and Kizamaro adjusted his glasses' frame while smiling.

"Gonta. Homework. Show it to me."

"Huh? Homework? Yeah, yeah."

Gonta took it out of his backpack and Luna began to read it: a twitch soon formed over her right eye and began to grow in size: Kizamaro and Pedia took two steps back while Gonta frowned and didn't seem to realize what was going on.

"Zero." She icily told him.

"Huh? It ain't zero Celsius out there yet, but…"

"… ZERO POINTS, YOU! YOU CHEATED! THESE ARE TSUKASA – KUN'S ANSWERS! YOU TWIT! YOU FATMAN! YOU BRAINLESS IDIOT! YOU COPIED THEM FROM HIS BACKPACK WHILE HE WAS IN THE CLINIC DURING HIS ALLOTED REHABILITATION EXERCISE TIME! AND THAT'S WHY YOU'VE BEEN SAYING YOU HAD "STOMACH ACHES" DURING P E CLASSES…! YOU SNEAK INTO THE CLASSROOM TO DO THIS VILE AND ARROGANT ACT! YOU COULDN'T POSSIBLY SINK ANY LOWER!" She exploded.

"Like I thought." Kizamaro calmly muttered.

Gonta turned white and began to sweat: he looked like he feared Luna would make canned meat of him right there and then.

"GRAH! YOU MISERABLE THIEF! YOU MISERABLE COPYCAT! YOU MISERABLE EXISTANCE! YOU MISERABLE ACCUMULATION OF FATS AND CALORIES! YOU MISERABLE GRUNT! YOU MISERABLE IMITATOR! YOU MISERABLE CHEATER! YOU MISERABLE COWARD! OUT! GET OUTTA THIS ROOM NOW! AND THIS WILL REACH THE HEADMASTER _AND_ YOUR PARENTS! OU~T!" She exploded.

Gonta ran away even though Ox stayed behind and merely shrugged: someone tapped his right shoulder from behind and he turned around to see War Rock grinning at him.

"Buro~! Whaddya want?" Ox demanded.

"Yo! How many Viruses can ya bust in a day?" War Rock asked.

"Huh? What silly question is that?" He frowned.

"60?"

"Buro~! 80! And I brought Cygnus as witness! How's that!" He bragged.

"80? Heh! Then Subari~ and I are gonna beat 100 of 'em and I know one secret spot where there are PLENTY of 'em!" War Rock grinned.

"You two barbarians! Out of my residence!" Luna snapped.

"Sure. Subari~ is gonna date Tsukasa, anyway."

"Buro~! Yeah! See ya!"

"NO WAY~!"

"Ops."

"Trouble.

"Catastrophe."

"NO WAY, NO WAY! IMPOSSIBLE! SUBARU – KUN! WHY, WHY, WHY!"

Kizamaro and the two Wizards sighed while Luna shrieked…

10:54 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Huff… Huff… Another little bit…! Ugh… Another little bit…!"

"Come on, Tsukasa – kun! You can do it!"

"T-thanks, Giro – kun…! Another little bit…! Huff! I did it…! I did it…! I'm improving, right, _sensei_?"

"Correct. I must say that your rehabilitation is progressing very well and appeals nicely enough."

"T-thank you, _sensei_…"

Futaba Tsukasa finished a set of rehabilitation exercises and picked two crutches at the end of the circuit to walk over to a chair where a teen guy was waiting.

"Thanks for the cheering, Kiboyama Gino – kun."

"Don't mind it! We're classmates, after all!"

Kiboyama Gino had slightly messy brown hair and bluish eyes.

He sported a brown shirt, jeans and white sneakers plus a discarded brown raincoat which had been left atop his lap.

"I know. I've been moving on forward and not giving it up ever since I returned to Japan about two months ago…"

"… And the police still don't have a clue as to the identity or motives behind the acts of the "Alphabet Murderer" yet no connection has been made with the victims. Their profile has always been 30s~60s, single, foreigners. The killer entered without forcing any windows or doors open and left as easily as they had gotten in. Some CCTV cameras were revealed to have had their logs erased by an unidentified Wizard which could be accomplice to killer or a proxy used by the killer…" A nearby radio reported.

"How creepy, the news about this killer… To think he didn't stop at one or two but actually killed _26 persons_ for reasons unknown…! Yet it seems to have an incredible dose of cold blood…!" Kiboyama muttered.

"… The names of the victims are, in Alphabetical order, the following: Ames, Bodin, Clayton, Difour, Elston, Farkdey, Grant, Hugli, Illon, Jackson, Kravitch, Lofner, Maccson, Norof, Orulov, Poing, Quantim, Robinson, Touwax, Umow, Vorsof, Xexen, Yardon, and, lastly, Zakarof."

"That's some internationality." Tsukasa muttered.

"Yeah… Makes me think of what happened two months ago when that "Centurion" character tried to kill the Satella Police in the abbey trap, even…!" Kiboyama grimly muttered.

"Yo~! Lovely Duet! Are ya gonna go out in a date tonight as well?" A voice rang out through Gino's Hunter – VG.

"Omega – san: that joke is way too lame by now, sir."

"Totally, sir."

"OMEGA~! I'm boiling my brains and turning them into steam and cutting sleep to try to find "Centurion" and the only profitable thing you can come up with is provoking Kiboyama and Futaba? Are you a twit or what? You moron! Move it!" A voice yelled.

"Roger, _shachou_~!"

"Sorry for the bother."

"Don't mind it, Vadous – san. We're trying to cope with it, sir." Kiboyama calmly replied.

"We can handle it." Tsukasa added.

"Good. I'll keep an extra eye on the guy and…"

"YO, YO, YO! Moon Ace's live radio program has begun! Today we bring you the "F – S – G" triangle~!" Moon Disaster laughed.

"By all the… Moon Disaster! Shut the trap up!"

"The F – S – G triangle is trending topic, yessir!"

Kiboyama and Tsukasa looked exasperated while Moon Disaster giggled and the man named Vadous fumed…

11:52 AM (Japan Time)…

"… I still dunno why I agreed on it."

"Come on! Ya were missing the thrill!"

Rock Man was fighting some Viruses on the Wave Roads around the Yaeba Resort: the skies were filled with grayish clouds and it menaced to start snowing, even.

"… How many did we beat already?" Rock Man asked.

"91!"

"Jeez. It never ends!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Did ya hear Moon Ace's broadcast about the F – S – G triangle, Subari~?" War Rock joked.

"It wasn't funny and even less Boss' outburst at the guy."

"Heh, heh, heh. Here they come~!"

"Jeez."

A new swarm of Viruses jumped on Rock Man and he drew a Hyper Cannon Battle Card.

"Hyper Cannon!"

The blast and its expansive shockwave blew the pack of 3 Viruses in one blow so Rock Man sighed in relief.

"94! More, more and more~!" War Rock laughed.

"Jeez! Hyper Cannon!"

"97! Another round, Subari~!"

"Hyper Cannon! There!"

"Yessir! 100! We did it! 100 of 'em!"

"Fair enough. Let's go back to Kodama Town." Rock Man turned around and began to walk back.

"Oh! Wait, wait! There, there! Look!"

"There? Oh. The abandoned manor's garden? I saw it back when the Yeti Blizzard stuff, too. It's located west of the weather control system…"

Rock Man looked at the left and spotted a snow-covered garden including a river which seemed to belong to a private manor: the manor itself was in a largely decadent state with the whole second floor burnt out and broken and the paint having faded from the front.

"Let's go, let's go!" War Rock suddenly rallied.

"Go? Where to?" Rock Man asked.

"Jeez! That place surely has a Giant Virus hiding there!" War Rock exclaimed.

"How can you tell?" Rock Man sounded skeptical.

"I can!"

"That's not an answer!"

"Let's go! _Full speed ahead_!"

"O-oi!"

War Rock forcibly dragged Rock Man's right arm and they dropped into the garden: Rock Man groaned and rubbed his body as he looked around: War Rock had materialized and was digging the snow up.

"Rawr! Come out, Viruses! War Rock – sama's gonna kick your hides!" He challenged.

"Do you really think a Giant Virus can hide under that snow?"

"Yeah! If not, there's a treasure!"

"By all the… Let's get out before someone kicks us out."

"Who is gonna kick out THE Rock Man?"

"Someone who mistakes me for a fancy-dressed thief with a Wizard accomplice, maybe?" Rock Man growled.

"Then in the manor!"

"Wait for me!"

War Rock ran forward and Rock Man followed him: he suddenly tripped with an overgrown tree root and met the snow which cushioned his fall: he rubbed his nose and stood up.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! I can smell frozen Viruses!"

"There aren't frozen Viruses…" Rock Man groaned.

"… Heh, heh, heh, heh… Figures. I guess it was a good idea to trail ya, for once… Master said ya would appear here sooner or later but it's no big deal at this stage." A voice rang out.

"Hmmm? This smell… Reeks of Burai's Wizard…" War Rock suddenly turned serious.

"But that ain't Burai. And it ain't Phantom Black, either." Rock Man pointed out.

"Doesn't sound like Apollon Flame or Auriga General, either. And it's definitely not Yeti, Condor or Brachio." Rock Man counted.

"Oi! Will ya stop going over the blacklist and hear me out?" The voice called out.

"Who are you?"

"The Alphabet Murderer!"

"What! So this is your hideout! Why did you kill 26 people?"

"Orders. Unreliable rent-a-grunt types gotta be silenced before someone buys the info from them…"

"So they were spies?"

"Yeah. But now ya can't come out of here. I'd love to slice your neck but Master's saving ya up for his own glory."

"What "Master"? Who are you?"

"Ops. Coming."

"Coming? What's?"

A low rumbling sound rang out as some kind of cylinder with a dome structure atop it emerged from inside a fake frozen forest: a slit in the center opened and two mechanical arms having a radar dish and some kind of hose came out.

"The anti-intruder system!" Rock Man deduced.

"Say "night"."

The hose charged up electricity and shot a purple spheroid at Rock Man: it hit him fully and War Rock felt the effects as well: Rock Man reverted into Subaru and collapsed into the ground while groaning and panting.

"We based it on WAXA's "Copy Canceller"… Heh, heh, heh. But like I said, it's up to the bosses what they do ya. Maybe that head of yours will be useful to 'em. Heh, heh, heh." The voice chuckled.

"C-crap…!" Subaru groaned.

He heard someone walking over the snow and managed to lift his head yet his sight was blurry: he could make out a black undefined figure and two red eyes looking down (literally) at him.

"Night."

THUD!

The figure hit Subaru's head with the hilt of a blood-smeared _katana_ and he was knocked out: the figure then placed it back inside of the sheath and chuckled.

"Hah! Good job, my apprentice! Bring the brat to the old stables and cuff them: I need to discuss this with General – dono." A voice rang out.

"By your will, my Master." The figure bowed.

"Heh, heh, heh… My vengeance shall be completed!"

The "Master" laughed aloud in an evil tone of voice…


	2. Chapter 2: Distress

**Chapter 2: Distress**

12:09 PM (Japan Time), Saturday December the 17th…

"… Hi!"

"Oh! Misora – chan! It's been a while."

"It has! Is Subaru – kun home?"

"No. He left to train."

"Did he say where?"

"No. But he expected to be back before 1:00 PM…"

Hoshikawa Akane was speaking with Hibiki Misora (who had put on a brown overcoat, a black cap, sunglasses and a blonde wig) inside of the house's living room.

"Pororon! Alright. We'll go search for the naughty boy." Harp giggled and sounded amused.

"Can't I offer you something before leaving, though?"

"Some water would be fine, thank you, ma'am."

"Of course, dear. Have a seat."

"Thanks."

Misora sat down and took out a book from her purse titled _Albert's Adventures_ the author of which was labeled as "Kazimura Albert" plus having a red plastic band with the words "THIS SEASON'S BEST – SELLING NON – FICTION BOOK: IMPOSSIBLE TO OVERCOME!" written on it: Misora giggled at it.

"Really… They exaggerate!"

"Oh, my… Isn't that… Subaru's book? I had no idea it'd become so popular even though they're just diary entries." Haruka commented.

"Ah! But the point is on seeing how he evolved from having no memory to starting to picture what had happened and was happening to him!"

"Oh, I see."

"YO, YO, YO! And today we bring you the "Recruit Trio" under the command of Empress HN!" Moon Disaster suddenly showed up on the TV while grinning.

"Yessir! Omega will brief you guys and gals in!"

"Not Omega again…" Harp Note groaned.

The guy named Omega appeared next to Moon Disaster on the TV screen.

A blue jewel shaped like an inverted triangle was set on the forehead of his helmet which was emitting a cross-shaped flash.

His eyes' irises were blue and they displayed a high level of amusement while long blond hair came out from behind him and reached all the way to the floor.

He had a red vest over his mainly black body and red armor over his forearms and boots: two golden circlets were set around his forearms and on his boots as well.

"Well! It's as you heard! Time to start the speculation war! Hop, jump and dance~!" Omega laughed.

"OMEGA~! You twit! You've done it again!"

"And let me introduce ya guys to _shachou_~!"

"Stop meddling around! Come back here, you moron!"

"Yessir! Raymond Ray will surf across the Jawaii beaches!" Omega laughed and blinked an eye.

"I'm serious! Come back here!"

"Catch me, _shachou_~!"

"By all the…! Why won't you let me work in peace?"

"Ask Mess Man!"

"YO, YO, YO!"

"This is turning ridiculous…!" Misora cursed.

She switched the TV off and then drank the water: Akane walked over to her and looked worried.

"Weird. Subaru's Hunter – VG can't be linked. I can't ring him up."

"Strange… Or maybe it's a prank by War Rock?"

"Oh. Could be. Subaru has complained more than once, after all."

"Well then, I think I'll go try to locate him. I know where he usually goes to, so…" Harp Note smiled as she stood up.

"Take care, dear."

"Thank you, ma'am. Let's go, Harp!"

"Pororon! Omega sent us a mail saying you know it all about "Empress HN and the Recruit Trio"…" Harp reported.

"That's some silly thing he made up after being in those forums where they all want to come up with pairings." Misora shrugged it off.

"Pororon! Alright! Let's go Rock – hunting."

"Good joke. Let's drop by the Satella Police HQ: maybe he's training with Akatsuki – san."

Misora stepped into the area behind the house and checked that no – one had spotted her before taking out her Hunter – VG.

"It's been a while... Let's go! _Denpa – Henkan_! Hibiki Misora, On Air!"

"Tee, heh, heh, heh!"

Misora and Harp became Harp Note and appeared atop the area in the Wave Road: Harp Note then headed for the Cosmo Wave entrance: she spotted a Denpa – kun who smiled at her.

"I have a message from Rock Man – sama: he is training with Akatsuki - san in case someone tries to contact him."

"Thank you!"

12:17 PM (Japan Time)…

"… And so my wife says… You must be feeling stressed by this time of the year: it's summer and everyone wants to make BBQs and such so they come and buy a lot of meat so…"

"Someone put the brakes on that geezer already…!"

"It would seem there was some error and your message didn't reach the social services, Shidou…"

"Lovely! The last thing I needed!"

"Ah, see? There's the stress and you sound aphonic, Mr. Butler. Maybe you should stay outdoors?"

"For all the… I'm not the local butcher!"

"Huh? Mr. Butcher ran out of goods?"

"NO!"

"There, the stress, like my niece uses to say…"

"By all the…! Behave yourself!"

"… Maybe we came in a bad moment…"

"Pororon! Guess so."

"Harp Note. What is your business?"

"Don't be so machine-like! Acid!"

Akatsuki Shidou was discussing with someone over his Hunter – VG and looked totally annoyed and out of patience: Harp Note came into the Satella Police HQ and looked doubtful: Acid addressed her and she protested at his cold greeting.

"Oh! So your daughter came?" An elderly man asked.

"NO! There's an UFO plague in your backyard!"

"What? A plague of euphoria?"

"NO! UFO! U – F – O! HAVEN'T YA EVER SEEN A SINGLE UFO MOVIE, YOU GEEZER?"

"There, the stress… My granddaughter normally takes a pill and…"

"Someone halt this unleashed steam locomotive!"

"We've contacted the social services. They'll treat his case."

"Good enough! Oi! It's about to rain!"

"Oh, no, no. I have to pick up the clothes which were drying… Pretty cold for being July, but…"

"For all the…! We're in December! DE – CEM – BER!"

"There's a cucumber in my fridge?"

"Gra~h! I need something to take my anger out into! Bring me a broken umbrella: I'll pulverize it!" He roared.

"Hibiki. What are you plotting?"

"Huh? Ah! Eh… Q-Queen Tia – sensei…"

"Oi, neechan… Why do ya have to be so hostile?"

Harp Note turned around and nervously greeted an icy Queen Tia: Jack was standing right next to her and didn't seem to find her behavior logical given his frowning.

"I came to ask of Akatsuki – san if Subaru – kun dropped by here…"

"Well! I haven't seen the guy but he could've gone to the Denpa – kun Square to chat with 'em firstly or train around." Jack shrugged.

"Help! Somebody help! I'm cursed!"

"Huh? Isn't that Utagai – san?"

"Calm down, Utagai."

"T-that's easy for y-you to s-say!"

"What's going on NOW?"

Utagai Shinsuke nervously showed Akatsuki a visiting card with a red hexagram drawn into it: Akatsuki turned it around and found the letters "MW" written on the reverse of it.

"Mars Warrior. In short, Omega. Another of his useless pranks. We can live without them, really." He grumbled.

"There's this "Omega Mars" series that…"

"Go to nowhere!"

"What? No Where Go?"

"There! Admiral Hudson!"

"O~h! Admiral Hudson! I must retrieve my old Navy uniform!"

Akatsuki used the distraction to cut the call and then spotted how Queen Tia was continuously staring at Harp Note while folding her arms: even Jack looked nervous by now.

"Jeez. Queen Tia! Stop bothering Misora. Are you playing a loophole on Dr. Yoiri again or what?" He grumbled.

"… Could be." She merely replied.

"Could be, could be… Ya sound like a lawyer!"

"And what if, Akatsuki?" She challenged.

"I give up."

"So! What's going on?" Jack asked.

"Like I said: a Denpa – kun in Kodama Town told me Subaru – kun came to train with Akatsuki – san…" Harp Note said.

"What? Subaru came to train with me? Odd. We didn't have any agreement on that and he never comes here unless it's some serious stuff…" He frowned.

"Weird. Excuse me, then. I'll go check with him again: maybe he didn't catch the message right. Good-bye!"

12:23 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Hey! You!"

"Yes, miss?"

"I have a question for you."

"If it's about Rock Man – sama, then…"

"You told me but he wasn't there. Did he really say that?"

"Eh…"

Harp Note had returned to Kodama Town and was talking with the Denpa – kun who lost his classical smile and looked worried.

"Eh… Hum… Code 111… Orders…"

"What? He ordered you to tell this lie?" Harp Note assumed.

"Well… My orders were… to tell anyone… who might search for… Rock Man… that he is at… Satella Police HQ…"

"Aha! Ox told you that?" Harp Note guessed.

"N-no! It was… hum… 0110101010101011…" He suddenly began to chant a string of binary code.

"Excuse me?" Harp Note obviously didn't understand it.

"Compliment a compliment… dance a dance… fry something fried…"

"What does this have to do with whoever ordered you to lie?" Harp Note questioned.

"… Eh… I am Denpa - kun Number #666… I am the Devil… I bring misfortune… Hum… It's not a salty hole…"

"What's a "salty hole"…?" Harp Note kept on demanding.

"_Alons, enfants de la patrie!_" The Denpa - kun suddenly exclaimed with obvious pride.

"What children of the country?" Harp Note frowned.

"Go your own half-way… This is not reality… it's a lie… a simulation… a copy…" The Denpa's eyes were now blank and his mouth was open but did not show any expression while his voice sounded distorted by now.

"Jeez! Cha! Do cha have any idea of what cha are babbling about to begin with? Spill it out!"

Harp Note lost her patience and began to "knock" on the Denpa - kun's head with her left hand.

"Pororon! He's gone nuts!" Harp muttered.

"I am hollow… I am empty… I am a container… I am "null"… I am nothing…!" The Denpa kept on muttering aloud.

"_Who_ told you to lie?" Harp Note pressed on.

"0110101010101011…" The Denpa kept on uttering.

Harp Note seemed to be holding her breath back and looked rather offended: she then grabbed her own guitar and began to hit the Denpa's head.

"Ow, ow, ow, o~w! Misora! That hurts!"

"Snap outta it, will cha!" She yelled at him.

"… Mwah, hah, hah, hah."

"Phantom Black?"

"No. The laughter sounds somewhat different."

"The blacklist is clean by now, ya see."

"Huh? Is that a pre-recorded message or is it live?" Harp Note frowned and looked confused.

"I'd rather say pre-recorded…" Harp guessed.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah."

"Sheesh! Can't this guy say something cleverer instead of just laughing at us? Where's the point on that?" Harp Note grumbled.

"Blood! Death! Bloody festival! Half-kill! Overkill! Manslaughter! Rivers of blood! Those thrill me!" The voice sounded insane by now.

"That sounds like a mass killer… Wait!"

"Whoever hears to this message: I'm the Alphabet Killer! My job is done by now but if I get permission from the higher-ups then I'll slice your neck as well and engrave your name in your back!"

"Crap. This is turning ugly."

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah."

"Let's try studying the Denpa – kun: maybe he has some data regarding when it was rigged and who did it!" Harp whispered.

"Roger!"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah… Ugh! Huff, huff… This cold…!" The voice suddenly coughed.

"I guess he forgot to turn off the recorder and that he's been recording this somewhere outdoors." Harp Note grinned.

"… Huff… Much better. Gotta watch it, really… Anyway… I'll know if you triggered this message. And when I do… Your neck shall be sliced up by me in the next 24 hours! Mwah, hah, hah, hah!"

"How scary, really." Harp Note dully muttered.

"… Hello there to all of our public! Let me tell you guys all about the S – F – G triangle~!"

"Oi! Shut that thing down! I didn't tell you to bring up the radio app for this, ya hear me?"

"Hmmm… This can help us narrow the time-frame because Omega's transmission was live and can't be prepared in advance given how he came up with it on the spot with no possible way of predicting when he'd do that…!" Harp Note grinned.

"Fine! See ya! Mwah, hah, hah!"

"Oh crap!"

The Denpa – kun suddenly got deleted and nothing was left behind: Harp Note closed her right fist and made a grimace.

"So! I guess Subaru – kun stumbled upon this guy! I'm gonna find that guy and figure what happened to him!" She muttered.

"Pororon! Good motto!"

"And if we could secure Burai's cooperation then it'd be better: he might think of a place we don't think of. Besides, he's not that hostile and stiff yet it'd be better to bring up his wish for a rematch with Subaru – kun in order to motivate him." Harp Note muttered.

"Pororon! So we go to the Bermuda Labyrinth next?"

"Yeah. But let's send a message to Dr. Lartes. We need help from the Subspace if we want to comb all areas quickly enough. And let's tell Akatsuki – san, too. He's surely yearning for a piece of the action as well by now." She grinned.

"Pororon! That's Misora for ya."

"Thanks."

Harp Note interacted with a "Real Wave" screen and typed an email on it before sending it out and shutting the screen down: she failed to notice a figure being hidden next to Luna's apartment building's rooftop solar energy panels which was grinning.

"Alright! To the Bermuda Labyrinth we go! Let's hurry it up: the sooner we get there the better!"

_Heh, heh, heh. Bermuda Labyrinth, did ya say~? Lovely, ya know. I can use that place as terrain advantage. And when I get permission, Burai's gonna have that throat sliced as well… Heh, heh, heh! Woman! Your needless curiosity will lead ya to a watery grave~!_

Harp Note warped out into the Cosmo Wave and the figure's grin grew wider as it jumped towards there, too…


	3. Chapter 3: Mysterious attacker

**Chapter 3: Mysterious attacker**

12:33 AM (Bermuda Time), Saturday December the 17th…

"… Yikes. This place always manages to frighten me."

"Don't worry: I know the path from memory!"

Harp Note was walking around the Bermuda Labyrinth and looking around the area while seemingly trying to remember the path.

"Hmmm… Let me concentrate… South."

"Roger."

Harp Note warped to another section of the labyrinth and entered a wide square surrounded by fog: she looked around and headed towards the east, but, suddenly, without warning, various _shuriken_ rained down around her so she rolled across the ground and jumped off the ground to dodge them.

"Not bad." A voice rang out.

"That voice…! The guy who left that message in the Denpa – kun…! The Alphabet Murderer…!"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah!"

A figure suddenly dropped down from above and landed in front of Harp Note.

"Meet the Alphabet Murderer!"

The so-called "Alphabet Murdered" appealed as being over a meter and sixty tall and wore a pitch-black bodysuit reminiscent of _ninja_ clothing including a purplish cape hanging from behind his shoulders, two metallic _shuriken_ on his shoulders and knees plus a utility belt.

His face was largely hidden by a balaclava while his brownish teal hair came out from an opening behind it in a totally spiky and wild manner: his eyes' irises' were blood red in color.

A small green _shuriken_ glowed on his forehead, too.

He also carried a _katana_ sheath attached to his back using a leather band which circled his body from the left shoulder until close to the right hip: it was painted purple and black while being decorated with four black dots around it.

Overall he looked like a _ninja_ armed to the teeth yet he didn't strike out as being much older than Harp Note.

"So cha are the "Alphabet Murderer", then! What happened to Rock Man?" Harp Note demanded.

"That snooping pair of mice, ya mean? Hah! Caught them snooping around so we closed them up 'till the big bosses call the firing squad on the guy… Mwah, hah, hah, hah." He laughed.

"The firing squad, you say!" She gasped.

"Or something similar. I dunno." He shrugged.

"Misora… That guy's signature reeks: it stains like Laplace's."

"Laplace's? You mean Burai's Wizard?"

"Burai, ya say? So ya were gonna meet the jerk… I'd love to slice that guy's throat, too, but my Lord has not allowed me to. I'm only allowed to play with you, woman, before finishing ya off."

"Learn your place!" Harp Note grumbled.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah. A watery grave is waiting for ya~…"

"And Burai is about to sneak into ya." Harp Note grinned.

"What!"

He turned around but then Harp Note shot an Impact Cannon blast at him: the "Alphabet Murderer" recoiled and grumbled something under his breath as a vein popped out slightly above his right eyelash.

"You woman… Tricking a man like me…!"

"Shoo, shoo. You're one to talk, mass killer! Go back to your _Sengoku_ age nest!" Harp Note taunted.

"I'll make ya regret it…"

He suddenly stood up and closed his fists while bringing them towards each shoulder by crossing them.

"En… A… Un… Sa… Do… Na… Ra…" He began to chant in what sounded like a foreign idiom: his voice echoed and added a sinister ring to it.

"W-what is he doing? Praying?" Harp Note wondered.

Some kind of "aura" began to build over the enemy's form and began to glow with a golden light: a shape reminiscent of a typical ghost, having a white body with no legs and a hood with a Halloween-like face carved on it emerged: its "eyes" shone with a reddish light.

"The Denpa Body, huh… He's materializing it as a program being run by the Hunter – VG. No surprise." She muttered.

"Come out! Assassin!" The enemy ordered.

"Assassin" finished materializing and morphed his arms into two sharp blades: he shot forward towards Harp Note but he met a Hyper Cannon's muzzle.

"Say bye."

BLAM!

"Ugu~h!"

"Che."

"What's this whole scandal in MY territory?"

"Hell."

"Burai. It's been a while."

"Who's that?"

Burai had come into the area while looking particularly annoyed and glared at the so-called "Alphabet Murderer" and his Denpa Body "Assassin" with a hostile look.

"Ga… Yu… Ra…!"

"What? That smell is familiar to you? What! That lowlife is the one who dared to strike me from behind a while ago, you say! Who the hell are you?" Burai growled.

"Hmpf! Assassin Shinobi!"

"Assassin Shinobi, huh… I'd heard of that "Assassin" as having the mindset of a killer who kills without remorse. Yet you lowlife don't look like you're _that much_ of a man." Burai scoffed.

"Shaddup."

"I'm in command. This is MY territory."

"Che. Your mere presence makes my blood boil but I can't cut your throat yet until my bosses allow me to!" He grumbled.

"So you tried to liquidate that woman over there."

"Yeah! No – one can snoop around when there's less than 24 hours left for "O: C" to start! And the same thing applies to that pair of snooping mice I caught earlier!" He grumbled.

"Snooping mice, you say?"

"This guy is involved in Rock Man's sudden disappearance."

"What! You lowlife…"

"Hey, hey… I said it to that woman over there… Those mice are still alive 'till the bosses decide what do but I guess "O: C" has the highest priority and they'll push that for tomorrow, after it's over…"

"Hmpf. Where did you get that Denpa Body?"

"Pro secret, ya see…"

"He mentioned a "Lord"…" Harp Note brought up.

"Hmmm… Fishy."

"Mwah, hah, hah… Now… Die! Go, Assassin! Poison Ailment!"

"Useless."

"What!"

"Shock Note!"

"Eat this!"

"Guo~h… What thrill! What thrill! My blood's boiling! This rush of excitement… Superb! Mwah, hah, hah, hah!"

"This guy's nuts."

"Yeah. Totally."

Assassin Shinobi looked up after both attacks and seemed to be totally excited: he laughed while the other two looked unimpressed.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah… I'd love to stay and play but I've got work to do elsewhere… My Lord is calling! See ya~!"

He suddenly dropped a smoke bomb into the ground and vanished: both grumbled or growled in frustration.

"So that guy is involved in something and that something requires shutting the traps of several guys who are spies for hire." Burai muttered.

"Yeah. And it'd seem there's less than 24 hours before it kicks off. And Rock Man must've casually found them so they used some trick or trap to capture them." Harp Note muttered.

"Yo! We're late for the party? Heh, heh, heh."

"Jeez. This is no joke, Sigma."

"Did ya say something, Bloody Shadowy~?"

"Not again… I'm Blood Shadow!"

"Brad Shad?"

"No~…"

"They came." Harp Note smiled.

"Sigma to the rescue!"

This guy was about two meters tall and was colored jet black: a red spheroid could be seen set on his chest area and it seemed to be missing the armor over its mass.

His face had two red eyes and one shone brighter than the other: two horns, one of which was almost erased, were set on both sides of his head and added a "demonic" look to him.

Green data flows moved around his body and he held a massive black and green sword in his right hand which he was currently aiming at the floor in lazy manner.

"Heh, heh, heh. And Brad Shad as well!"

"Blood Shadow!"

Blood Shadow looked rather similar to Rock Man but with several design alternations to him: his main color of choice was red.

He sported black shades and a flock of messy reddish hair came out from behind the helmet given how it only covered the face and the front of the head: his ear-pads had two purple "V" letters drawn inside of them.

His armor had the purple letters "BS" engraved on the chest area while his legs were colored black and had two red stripes running down the legs' sides in a parallel manner.

His right forearm was covered by a device colored red coupled with a piece of it which was colored transparent red: a small indentation near the wrist had the same "BS" initials engraved there: and, where the hand would be, a large double-barreled shotgun emerged instead.

"Sorry! But the jerk ran away. We've got a name, though. Assassin Shinobi. And he admitted being behind Rock Man's disappearance."

"Hmmm… Shinobi, Shinobi…" Blood Shadow muttered.

"Wasn't that the name of one of the three OOPArts?" Sigma seemed to recall.

"Yeah. Whereabouts unknown. Along with Berserk." Burai quickly summed up.

"And how did he Denpa – Henkan?" Blood Shadow asked.

"Easy. He got, somehow, a Denpa Body from Mu named "Assassin" which seems to be a perfect fit for him. He wasn't taking me too seriously, though, and when Burai joined the party he fled. He hinted at some operation which is to be carried out in less than 24 hours… "O: C", he called it…" Harp Note detailed.

"Hum. And the murders were part of it?"

"Yeah. Some kind of purge to avoid slips of the tongue… Given how all victims were spies for hire… But, anyway, the point is this: we gotta figure out where Rock Man could've gone to. We gotta ask the usual guys in Kodama Town to see if they have any idea." Harp Note suggested.

"That involves me?" Burai asked.

"Do as you like." Harp Note replied.

"Fine. That's my style. But I won't let some random guys get a chance at liquidating Rock Man: the guy's my entertainment. Later."

Burai stepped back into the fog while the other three rushed towards the outer perimeter and the entrance.

"Dr. Lartes got the message. He hasn't told Boss yet because he's sleeping on his orders. We can put the search for "Centurion" on hold until this thing is solved." Blood Shadow told Harp Note.

"Good enough. We don't need Vadous to stress out again. Dr. Lartes can handle things perfectly, too. Let's split: I'll go report to Akatsuki – san's apartment. You guys start searching for clues."

"Roger."

"Let's go, Brad Shad!"

Sigma laughed and ran away while Blood Shadow and Harp Note sighed in defeat upon seeing his attitude…

12: 57 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Phew! I made it on time: Akatsuki – san isn't home yet. Well! Let's just wait for him to come. He can't take much longer."

"… This afternoon at 5 PM I'll vacate and head over there. Don't do anything stupid until then. The General has yet to reach a verdict so stay away from the barn. Get it?"

Harp Note stepped into the living room of a small apartment somewhere through the balcony and suddenly heard a voice coming from besides the wall separating both this apartment and the adjacent one: she frowned and silently tiptoed closer to the wall to listen in.

"… Good enough. You know your place, don't you? Of course… I wouldn't have kept you hadn't it been for your loyalty and competence… What? No, don't give the details over this line. Tell them to me later: it'll be safer like that. Excellent. Later. I'm off." A man's voice with a slight foreign accent could be heard.

Harp Note rushed to the entrance and looked out through the peephole to see a man on his 30 and about a meter and eighty tall leave the adjacent apartment: he had brown short combed hair and moustache.

He wore a blue suit with a green tie and sported brown shoes along with reading glasses and a carried a small brown case on the right hand: he headed for the elevator and called it up: it pinged when it stopped on that floor.

"Ah! Good afternoon, Mr. Akatsuki."

"Oh. Mr. Malmo. Good afternoon. As busy as usual?"

"True, true. If you'll excuse me…"

"But of course. Go on ahead. Good luck with the business."

"Thank you very much."

"There goes the fella. Nice chap."

"Is that so?"

"Come on, Acid! You've met him several times already: he's just a businessman! Let's go inside: we've got a visitor."

"Roger."

"Yo! Misora. Sorry to keep ya waiting. So? What's up?"

"I got important info."

Harp Note had cancelled the Denpa – Henkan by now and Shidou guided her into the living room: they both sat on the chairs around a round table while Shidou stretched.

"Man! I dunno how Dr. Yoiri does it but she managed to bring Queen Tia with her to a small break: when she came back she seemed to have put the obsession regarding ya in the closet again." He grinned.

"Phew. I feel better like that."

"Pororon! And I dunno why she makes ya feel nervous."

"Too complicated, Harp."

"Pororon! So they say…"

"Anyway! We need to search the usual spots Subaru – kun would visit and decide which of them would be an ideal hideout for a large group of people plotting something large-scale…" Misora suggested.

"Did something happen along the way?"

"Yeah. We met a guy named Assassin Shinobi, the "Alphabet Murderer" and he admitted that Subaru - kun is being held prisoner because he was snooping into something: and they have a plot which is about to start given how there's less than 24 hours left before it does!"

"By all the… Then this is more serious than I thought!"

"What data do we have on that character?" Acid asked.

"Doesn't seem to be older than me or Subaru – kun… Somewhat of a masochist, even… I guess he must be terrifically skilled at swords and has many tricks up his sleeves…"

They didn't notice a small black dot hidden in a corner of the room which seemed to be a hidden microphone.

"I see. And if he could kill 26 people sans any remorse then it's another reason to be careful of the guy. But it depends on what his bosses tell him as well… Let's move out already!"

"Roger."

"I'll go check the Nanska Ruins! They seem a good starting spot in my opinion… Ah! And by the way, Akatsuki – san… I'll tell you something else which has picked my instinct…"

She whispered something to him and Shidou frowned: he looked surprised at whatever she told him but she made the "silence" sign and blinked him the right eye before stepping out into the balcony.

"Denpa – Henkan! Hibiki Misora, On Air!"

She transformed and jumped into the air: Shidou scratched his head.

"I'm not sure if she's being paranoid or not." He muttered.

"It could be." Acid told him.

"Alright! Let's go search Shiisaa Island. Maybe Strong saw him passing by or another Denpa – kun did!" Shidou grinned.

"Roger."

"Denpa – Henkan! Akatsuki Shidou, On Air!"

Shidou and Acid became Acid Ace: he cocked his gun and jumped into the Wave Road after locking the balcony: he then looked left and right before dashing away.

"Shidou. Mail from Moon Disaster. He wants the formula of your "acid" to promote it." Acid reported.

"What silliness…! Just because you're named "Acid" that doesn't mean anything…! That guy…!"

He grumbled under his breath in obvious annoyance…


	4. Chapter 4: Cirrus Network

**Chapter 4: Cirrus Network**

13:09 PM (Japan Time), Saturday December the 17th…

"… Buro~! Will ya confess?"

Ox was interrogating a Denpa – kun in the Wave Road above the "BIG WAVE" Battle Card Store.

"I'm the village's executioner! To whom do I need to cut their heads tonight?" The Denpa - kun had a blank expression and his voice sounded hoarse.

"Buro~! I'm so gonna burn you up if you don't confess! Where did War – Rock go to?" Ox kept on interrogating.

"Good ostriches! I call from the ostriches' nest! Would you be interested in adopting an ostrich?"

"I'm the one asking and I don't need any ostriches!"

"Herr Komandant! Do ostriches need a passport to cross the border?" He now sounded doubtful.

"Dunno!" Ox shot back.

"The ostriches, you say?" He now sounded rather irritated.

"I didn't say anything about ostriches!" Ox grumbled.

"You know, those animals with large necks, feathers and…" He suddenly trailed off.

"I know how an ostrich looks like!" Ox grumbled.

"PTAF!" He suddenly imitated the sound of a punch being delivered to someone.

"Whom are you gonna punch, huh?" Ox demanded.

"U-understood… They don't need passport… You may pass…" He now sounded like it had understood the lesson.

"Oi! Answer me!"

Ox gripped the Denpa – kun and began to rock him as if trying to snap him outta it but wasn't being successful.

"A billion blue blistering barnacles!"

"What are blue blistering barnacles?"

"This is a perfect drama! It's unbeatable! It's the ultimate drama in existence!"

"No drama and no silly stuff! Answer me!" Ox yelled.

"Reverse Card, Open!"

"What "Reverse Card"?" Ox sounded bewildered.

"You lose!"

"Why you little punk…!" Ox cursed.

"DANCE!"

"What dance? Don't play games, jerk!" Ox grumbled.

"I'm on my way to the afterlife! Farewell!"

The Denpa – kun broke down into raw data and a twitch showed up over his right eye while he exhaled flames.

"BURO~!" He roared.

He shot forward at mad speed following the trail of the Wave Roads and then entered the "Cybernetics" of a street light: he let out a sea of flames which bathed the entire area and then fumed.

"I had to discharge this rising anger of mine~!" He roared.

He warped out and retraced his way to Gonta's house: the guy was there trying to struggle with the homework and looking hysterical: Ox ignored him and entered the "Cybernetics" of a TV next.

"Buro~! While that guy struggles, I'll go watch my favorite cooking show: I turn crazy at the sight of flames! Buro~! Bring it on, twits! I'll make roasted meat outta ya~! Buro~!"

15:58 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Crap. It'd seem those guys are starting to suspect of me so I better dispose of the data…!"

Mr. Malmo entered his apartment and headed for a fireplace which he turned on: he then took off a small canvas from the wall to reveal a built-in safe which he quickly opened: some documents and HDDs were stored there: he immediately began to toss them into the fire.

"I've got plenty of backups elsewhere. I don't need these anymore."

"What a pity! We happen to need them." A feminine voice stated while coming out from apparently nowhere.

Mr. Malmo looked around, bewildered as some light shone in front of the balcony to reveal Harp Note.

"By Shakespeare! Harp Note!" Mr. Malmo uttered.

"We knew each other, then." Harp Note guessed.

"Yeah! And I could've had my chance to use you as bait back in October but that Omega had to get in the middle!" He grumbled.

"… Hyde."

"Hah!"

He took off the wig and moustache plus the glasses: he then snapped his fingers and revealed how his suit was a hologram.

"What better place to spy on the Satella Police than Akatsuki's own apartment? A little bug there, take into account his discussion with the Wizard and hop! You get a lot of juicy info."

"Hmpf. And now you work for someone because I doubt you doing something so complicated on your own."

"Correct! That "someone" is about to bring this nation into its knees in less than 24 hours! This is "O: C"!"

"What does that mean?"

"_Operation Cirrus_!"

"_Operation Cirrus_? Isn't "Cirrus" a type of cloud cluster?"

"Yessir!"

"Is Subaru – kun still alive?"

"Not for much longer."

"Where is he?"

"Wanna know the answer…? Catch me! Let's go, Phantom!"

"Yessss…!"

"Denpa – Henkan! Hyde, On Air! Mwah, hah, hah!"

Hyde and Phantom merged and Phantom Black jumped into the Wave Road while speeding southwards: he suddenly stopped since he almost ran into Acid Ace who cocked his gun.

"Going somewhere?" He asked.

"No escape over here, either!"

Phantom Black gasped and looked over his right shoulder to see Harp Note catching up with him: he cursed under his breath and leapt into a higher Wave Road.

"Che! A gentleman whose antecessors lived in London's Hyde Manor won't get caught so easily!"

"But that of the Hyde Manor was a trick…"

"Silence!"

"Hyde… Ahead of you."

"Huh? Oh no!"

"COME AT FULL POWE~R!"

"The black demon, the barbarian, the uncivilized one! In such a situation, a tactical retreat is advised! Tactical retreat!"

Phantom Black had been discussing with Phantom and got to meet Sigma in front of him so he turned tail and headed eastwards yet he stopped because Blood Shadow was standing there while aiming his shotgun's barrels (loaded with energy) at him.

"That's as far as you come." He told him.

"By all the… Persistent vulgar people! Hop!"

Phantom Black jumped into a building's rooftop, and, from there, he reached a third Wave Road: he could see how he was coming closer to the Cosmo Wave Warp Point.

"Yo~! Phantom Blackie~! Uncle Omega came to fire ya~!"

"Not that one again!"

Omega leapt from another rooftop and landed in front of him: Phantom Black cursed but then spotted Ox Fire closing on him.

"Buruo~! Time for payback, punk!"

"_The devil_!"

He leapt past Omega and stepped into the Warp Point to exit into the Cosmo Wave: smiling, he dashed forward only to find Moon Disaster blocking the path.

"YO, YO, YO! I won't let ya keep on!"

"NYA~RGH!" He growled in pure frustration.

"That's what happens when ya get confident, Hyde…" Phantom sighed in defeat.

SLASH!

"Ugh!"

"Hyde – sama! Go on ahead! I shall divert them!"

"Good timing, my disciple! Go!"

"Saved by the _katana_, huh?"

Assassin Shinobi had suddenly shown up while brandishing his _katana_ on the right hand which he used to slash the back of Moon Disaster and knock him into the ground: he then made a reverence and stepped out of the way as Phantom Black ran past him while grinning: Phantom made a slightly sarcastic comment along the way, too.

"Coming…!" Assassin Shinobi muttered.

In effect: the six pursuers made it to the area just as he crossed his arms and began chanting.

"Un… En… Jan… De… O… Ra…"

His body glowed with menacing reddish light and then six copies (the original included) of him formed: they leapt over the group and jumped down into Kodama Town where they split and began to destroy anything in sight.

"One per copy! Let's go!"

"YEAH!"

They split and Harp Note attacked one of the enemies with the Drill Arm X Battle Card as it tried to cut down the Wave Liner stand: the enemy growled and almost hit her right knee with the _katana_ but she kicked his lower jaw and made him fall into the river where he was dragged away by the current: she then sensed something and spotted Omega punch-fighting an enemy atop the "BIG WAVE" store yet the enemy ended up exploding.

"Copy. And Blood and Sigma say they met them, too." Omega muttered.

"Mine was a copy, too." Acid Ace added.

"Buro~! Mine too!"

"Then I just kicked the real one into the river and most surely is gonna warp away. Let's forget him: we need to savage whatever data is left behind at Hyde's apartment!" Harp Note rallied.

"Roger!"

16: 08 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Huff… Achoo! Man! The last thing I needed…! Achoo! Swimming in the river in December! Grah! I didn't train to do that! Bloody woman! Bloody "Drill Arm"! Bloody them!"

"Is your speech over?"

"Huh! Hyde – sama. What do you beseech of this servant?"

"Fetch the prisoner. But don't harm them. Mr. Professor wants to show him how clever we are and I agree."

"Roger."

Assassin Shinobi appeared in the old manor's snowed garden in which Subaru had last been seen at while cursing aloud: Hyde was standing behind him while holding his stick in manner that it might indicate authority so he quickly turned around and kneeled.

"And remove the Denpa – Henkan."

"Roger."

The Denpa – Henkan released but the only change was that his clothes looked less thick and the _shuriken_ on his shoulders and knees were now gone: Assassin then floated in the air behind him while remaining silent: Hyde headed for the mansion while Shinobi walked over to a deteriorated building further ahead

"Who goes there?"

"Me."

"Mr. Hyde sent ya?"

"Yeah. Open up."

One soldier wearing white camouflage clothing and having a machinegun had showed up from behind a pile of snow but he lowered the gun when Shinobi walked over to him: the soldier nodded in agreement and then they headed for the building's door.

"Down there."

The soldier took out a flashlight and they climbed down four steps into a basement room: he then picked a key from his belt and opened an old and worn out wooden door with rusty hinges: he flashed the insides and spotted Subaru sitting in a stone bench: he had cuffs on his wrists and so did War – Rock who was floating right beside him: Subaru looked largely unimpressed.

"Whaddya want now?" He dully questioned.

"Heh, heh, heh. My Lord demands to see you, Hoshikawa. You'd be better off not doing any silly tricks." Shinobi chuckled.

"Whatever. Lead the way, punk."

"Hah! Yeah. I'm a neo-punk. Take that." He laughed.

"Che. He plays along." War Rock whispered in clear annoyance.

Subaru merely nodded in agreement as he followed Shinobi outside and down a path until they reached the side entrance to the manor: a set of steps leading into a room which was illuminated: Shinobi knocked on the door using his knuckles.

"Come in."

"After you."

Subaru shrugged and walked inside first after the door unlocked and into a small living room which only had a worn out reddish leather armchair and a burning fireplace.

"Hah!"

"Hyde. You again."

"Surprised?"

"Why should we? After the October stunt…"

"Hmpf! You want to play the skeptic, eh? But this time I have been recruited by people who recognized my power!"

"And the "valet" thing you improvised in September meant that punk over there."

"Correct!"

Hyde had dramatically turned the armchair around but Subaru didn't even beat an eyelash: Hyde looked amused while Subaru looked rather skeptical and unimpressed.

"What's held you back from removing me from the picture?"

"I am obliged to report all events to the higher authority and they decide: I may be a special collaborator but I have no real authority. Consider yourself fortunate!"

"Ah. So? They've reached a verdict?"

"Not yet. But the gentleman running the technical part wishes to speak with you so I shall see to it: I might gain favorable points if I concede him this small selfish wish." Hyde grinned.

"Hmpf."

"Follow us!"

Hyde walked out, Subaru followed and Shinobi walked some four steps behind while having his arms folded: they entered an unlit cellar room filled with drums and other stuff packed at wild and then climbed down a set of stairs into the basement level: Hyde stopped in front of a group of four drums and used his stick to hit a tile on the wall which sunk: an engine's sound rang out and the slab with the drums on it slowly arched upwards to reveal a reddish glow and a set of stairways descending further down.

"How's that one like?"

"Nice secret entrance." He shrugged.

"Hmpf! Shinobi! Remember to lock it up after we go through: it's the rule!"

"Roger."

The group climbed downstairs into a small concrete corridor which was well illuminated and clean compared to the earlier mess: there was someone standing in front of an armored door with a porthole built into its frame.

"Welcome, Hoshikawa – dono."

The man appealed on his late 30s or early 40s: he had black neatly combed hair and greenish eyes while being clean shaven: his overall height appealed as being over a meter and eighty tall.

He wore a white lab coat which hid almost all of his clothes beneath it yet the pants were brown in color and the shoes were brown: he also had reading glasses on.

"May I know your name?" Subaru calmly asked.

"Professor Anestov Milosevich. I am the responsible of the technical part of this affair."

"Sharo Nation?"

"How observant. I started my career there but moved."

"Ah. I see." He dully muttered.

"Now, if you may follow me…"

He opened the door and made them step into a large square room filled with super-computer terminals and one large "Real Wave" image of the Earth with red and blue arrows drawn over it: the room's floor, walls and ceiling were metallic and there was a slight trace of ozone scent floating around the air: overall it looked like a computing center.

"A computing center." He deduced.

"Correct. But let us move to my office and we shall explain things there in a calm and orderly manner."

"Shinobi. Not a word. Behave." Hyde ordered.

"Roger."

The group walked down a corridor and entered a small cubical room having an overhead map of the North Pole and its magnetic fields plus trade winds being projected on the far wall glowing with orange light: Subaru sat down on a chair while Milosevich picked a small thin rod which he used to signal spots of the hologram.

"This is the magnetic North Pole. Rather than being interested on its magnetism, our interest resides on the trade winds around it: by making clever use of them and playing with the humidity and magnetism present in weather patterns then we can throw them off-balance. You might have heard the reports of disastrous events in Western Europe, Central Ameroupe, Australia, Central Africa and Choina. Those were tests and they have been a great success." He explained.

"Ah. And what do you gain from this?"

"We _Cirrus Network_, that is, the set of stations designed to control the weather from several points of the planet, are a tool of our army to weaken the enemy nation and ensure a quicker conquest."

"Conquest, then… And you want to do the same thing here hence why this winter is turning so cold?"

"Correct. While you claim that your supercomputers can help regulate the environment and stop earthquakes, which they do, we unleash chaos around the world and always make it look like their own weather systems (if existent) failed due to sloppy programming."

"Ah. Plausible scapegoats."

"Bravo. That's not a term you hear every day."

"My work with the Satella Police involves terms like these. You tend to memorize them when officers chat in front of the drink vending machine, after all." Subaru shrugged.

"Ah. Yes, yes… And the most important part is left… _How_ do we alter the climate and _what_ energy system do we use?"

"Good teaser."

Milosevich formed a smirk and pressed a button next to the wall: a segment of it slid to the right to reveal a corridor extending behind it: Subaru stood up as Milosevich signaled it.

"Please come in, gentlemen."

Subaru followed him and scanned the corridor: it was built using a concrete frame and had windows on both sides: the corridor ended in a round control room which had two open doors and a blast hatch on the ground which was currently open.

"Have a look."

Subaru looked out through the windows and saw how this corridor was built to run across the center of a large underground room illuminated by a greenish fluorescent glow.

"Hmm… And there's the stuff." Subaru muttered.

Several machines which looked like energy converters were placed on the south row of the room while the flanks had some modified satellite antenna – based devices: the north end had a large cylinder with energy converting devices atop it: the machine gave the vibe of being some kind of generator.

"And here's the control room. When the machines work, staff up here must wear protective goggles and down there you need anti-radiation suits with oxygen tanks." Milosevich explained.

They stopped in front of a large desk filled with dials, buttons, switches, LED displays and screens: Subaru lifted an eyebrow and scanned them in a distracted manner before looking up.

"That cylinder is an energy accumulating device which we have to come to name "Cirrus Ray". Inside of this volume there's energy equivalent to _ten million Jules_." Milosevich announced with dignity.

"Ten million Jules? That's some volume. No wonder you can project such amounts of energy if you have so much to begin with."

"Correct."

Subaru resumed examining the control console and spotted a weird device which was a red circular button switch with a 'thunderbolt' symbol drawn over it and a microphone attached to it which was placed in an incline black slab.

"The override device?"

"Override device, you say? Oh, that? Well…"

"Enough!" A commanding voice rang out.

The air seemed to freeze all of a sudden: Milosevich froze in place while Hyde looked nervous along with Shinobi.

"Professor Milosevich. Your tongue is too large."

A man stepped inside of the room: he appealed as being over a meter and seventy tall and around his 40s while having black hair and some beard: his eyes' irises were brown and displayed coldness.

He wore a simple black coat plus a greenish scarf complimented with black knee-tall boots.

His mere presence seemed to turn the room colder and imposed overwhelming authority.

"G-General – dono…!" Milosevich muttered.

The "General" didn't reply and he instead fixed his gaze on Milosevich: he gulped and looked about to lose his rigidness: the "General" then skipped his glance at Hyde and he began to sweat while trying to keep a firm and "noble" pose: Shinobi also remained firm but the "General" seemed to ignore him altogether: he then set his gaze on Subaru but was greeted with his non-flinching eyes: he kept his glare on him but Subaru didn't change his pose or behavior at all: the "General" then shrugged and turned around to walk away yet he stopped after a few steps.

"Verdict: use of knowledge. Irrefutable. Do you understand, Mr. Hyde? Or do I need to make myself clearer?"

"N-n-n-no, General – dono, sir!" He quickly saluted.

"Hand the keys to Professor Milosevich. I know you have them on you and what you were wishing for yet this organization is not here to fulfill petty desires." He ordered in an icy tone of voice.

"R-roger…!"

Hyde quickly took two keys attached to a ring and tossed them at Milosevich who caught them and pocketed them.

"No visits." He ordered.

"R-roger!"

"And that goes for that _ninja_ as well."

"You heard him!"

"R-roger, General – dono!" He made a reverence.

"Fine."

Without any more orders, he made his way as silently as he'd come and the tension seemed to cool down: two soldiers then came into the room and saluted.

"By the orders of General - dono, that hostage is to be taken to a safer location and no visits will be allowed without the written consent of the General – dono." They reported.

"P-please go ahead…" Milosevich uttered.

Subaru shrugged as he and War – Rock walked away from the room and out into a corridor before being made to enter a storeroom which they locked from the outside: Subaru sat down atop a crate and formed a smug smile.

"Heh. I beat that guy at the staring contest." He muttered.

"Yessir! Ya beat him and he had to admit it! Take that, geezer!"

"And if I know the Satella Police… They're on their way here."

Both he and War – Rock chuckled under their breaths…


	5. Chapter 5: Chaos

**Chapter 5: Chaos**

18:18 PM (Japan Time), Saturday December the 17th…

"… So? What was in silly Hyde's HDDs?"

"From what we've salvaged… Some unexpected weather reports."

"Unexpected weather reports?"

"I mean… Do you remember all those natural disasters which shook some countries a few months ago? Here is written the following: the time in which they'll start, the intensity, the estimated damage and so on… No weather agency writes that."

"True."

A meeting was being held in the WAXA Command Room regarding the contents of Hyde's HDDs: Dr. Yoiri was the lead voice.

"Could it be…? Maybe those disasters were artificially provoked with a weather manipulation system which can't be detected?" Misora suddenly suggested.

"It makes sense given how many countries are still lacking a communication infrastructure and we don't know what's happened yet rumors float around that they were invaded and the areas rich in natural resources seized…" Akatsuki muttered.

"And Subaru could've stumbled upon their weather manipulation facility by pure dumb luck?" Daigo guessed.

"Sounds like it… And if they want to know where we have the power plants and where the energetic resources are located at, they could use spies and their connections… Once the map was finished then they silenced them to avoid any leaks!" Akatsuki exposed.

"Is there any data on the location?"

"A note by Hyde… "A place most fitting for my stage name!" … But that's all… It's too vague to make anything out of it, anyway. We should try to search further."

"But we can't sit idle the whole day, either… "Operation: Cirrus" is supposed to begin in less than 24 hours!" Misora rallied.

"Pororon! Yeah! But where could that place be at? We searched the Nanska Ruins, the Donbura Village and Lake, Burai says he didn't detect him passing by the Bermuda Labyrinth and there are no logs of his passing through the Noise Waves linking to Planet FM… Ox said War – Rock had boasted about going to beat a hundred Viruses, so…!" Akatsuki grumbled.

"What can we do, then?" Daigo sighed.

"Dr. Yoiri! We savaged another report! It's written as of yesterday but the pattern is different!"

"Oh! What does it say?"

"Starting at around 21:00 PM, an unusually thick fog will form in the Kanto Region and then slowly spread to encompass its borders, thus cutting it off from road, plane and train travel!"

"What! Then…!"

"It's the same pattern, alright! Some foreign force must then send it stealth planes with parachute soldiers which will seize the most important facilities! Their aim here is a quick and unopposed conquer instead of a slow and methodical attrition strategy!" Akatsuki guessed.

"Pororon! You look absent-minded, Misora."

"… Well… Yeah… A place fitting for my stage name? Phantom: graveyards, old manors… Old manors…? Gotcha! Let's go!" Misora muttered before gasping.

She suddenly ran off and Harp followed her as she ran into the elevator just as someone came out: she pressed the "1F" button and the elevator began to climb down.

"The abandoned manor next to the Yaeba Resort! That's the place where they built the weather control system: it's perfect! And where else do you find 100 Viruses in winter? Aqua – Type Viruses show up there! It was so obvious, really!" She exclaimed.

18:30 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Professor Milosevich! The hour has come."

The mysterious "General" was speaking with Professor Milosevich inside of the underground base via a Hunter – VG.

"Roger, my general." Milosevich acknowledged.

He sat down in front of the control console and began inputting some commands: some graphics which seemed to represent power levels appeared and began to load up: Milosevich then picked a wireless microphone and tapped into it before speaking into it.

"Attention all personnel! Going outside is only allowed if you have gas masks and oxygen tanks along with the anti-radiation suits! We are going to start Operation Cirrus! Activation will begin NOW!" Milosevich announced.

"Roger!"

"Station A: report!"

"All systems green!"

"Station B: report!"

"All systems green!"

"Station C: report!"

"All systems green!"

"Station D: report!"

"All systems green!"

"Good! Let us begin! The fog must have gained the calculated thickness by 21:00 PM… It will begin focusing here first and then climb up to be distributed by the winds!" Milosevich smiled.

"All personnel: retreat inside! Make sure to lock all entrances!"

Milosevich chuckled under his breath…

18:37 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Phew! We made it inside just in time. That fog is thicker than I thought and something about it gave me a bad vibe… It looked… saffron – colored… instead of just ghostly white…"

"Pororon! Dunno. Maybe it's because it's artificial…"

"Could be… Anyway… Given how I'm using the "Invisible" Battle Card then they can't notice me… Let's try finding Subaru – kun."

"Pororon! Roger."

Harp Note had sneaked inside of a corridor filled with armored doors having a porthole each: men clad in radiation suits colored yellow and having an attached oxygen tank patrolled the corridors in pairs.

"Man! This thing is such a burden…!"

"Oi, oi… Don't tell you wanna breathe that thing out there. Ya know what'd happen to ya, right?"

"Of course not, I'm just saying…"

"I know that rambling of ya. Bunker or not, AC or not, orders are orders and you shut up and work."

"Jeez. Ya have no guts."

"Anyway, we gotta bring this to the kid. Or else the General will have our heads in silver platters."

"I know, I know! No need to remind me! I don't have Alzheimer's disease, ya know!"

"Shut up already and do us a favor."

Two men were discussing as one carried a platter having instant noodles, a cold bottle of water and a banana on it plus a slice of bread: Harp Note followed them and they halted in front of a door which one of them unlocked and they stepped in: Harp Note waited outside.

"Here. Dinner." One of them could be heard saying.

"Not in the mood, huh?" The other taunted.

"Shut up! We're not supposed to say anything."

"Jeez. That geezer…" The rambling soldier grumbled.

"SHUT UP!" The commanding soldier yelled.

"Ya aren't my Boss." He shrugged.

"Let's settle this outside, you rookie!" The other roared.

"Rookie? Me? Ya kidding me? Been in the army for 7 years!"

"I've been for 14!" The commanding one countered.

"Come on!"

"And I'm a Major, too!"

"Come on!"

"You lowlife…! I'll have you face the firing squad!"

"And what about how ya cheat at trumps, eh?"

"What? I don't cheat at trumps! And if this is supposed to be the kind of image our army is supposed to project then we're making fools outta ourselves! Come out!" The Major grumbled.

"Jeez."

The rebellious soldier came out followed by the Major but Harp Not suddenly sneaked behind them and used her guitar to knock them out by hitting the back of their skulls: she became visible and tossed both men inside: she ran in to find Subaru in the middle of eating the noodles.

"Hiya~!"

"Ha-Harp Note!" Subaru exclaimed.

"Finish the meal." She giggled.

"I'm not hungry anymore! We gotta stop whatever they're up to! Break these!"

"Roger."

Harp Note took out a Long Sword Battle Card and shattered both his and War Rock's cuffs: they massaged their wrists and smiled.

"Let's go, Rock! _Denpa – Henkan_! Hoshikawa Subaru, On Air!"

"Yessir!"

Subaru and War Rock became Rock Man and they both stepped outta the room while locking it up.

"What now?" War Rock asked.

"I know they're creating a fog to help an invading force! But it won't settle on Kanto's borders until 21:00 PM so we've got time!"

"Roger! Let's go search for the Prof. He obviously knows how to stop this stuff. I remember the path to his office."

"Tee, heh, heh, heh! Only the two of us to save the day… Like in the old days! Don't ya think so?" She giggled.

"Eh… Well… Dunno…" He muttered.

"Heh, heh, heh. Promising, promising!" War Rock teased while blinking Subaru the right eye.

"Jeez. Shut up."

Both Satella Police members walked down the corridor while remaining invisible and ignored the assistants working on the consoles: they reached the office room and spotted that the doorway leading to the centermost control room was open.

"Over there. Let's be quiet." Rock Man whispered.

"Roger."

"Lemme shave that punk hair!"

"You won't."

"A~w! I wanted to prove the guy's bald!"

Rock Man and Harp Note crept towards Milosevich who was focused on controlling the devices: most of the antenna – like devices had been lifted into hatches built into the ceiling and which obviously had to communicate with the surface.

"… Heh, heh, heh! This fog contains an element which gradually reduces the portion of oxygen contained in the breathable air… This provokes a rise in lung activity and intoxicates the person's mind causing a state of artificial euphoria on them… They eventually suffer a heart attack and perish… The ultimate weapon!" Milosevich was muttering while apparently self-gloating.

"Sorry, Prof, but no one is gonna die in _our_ watch!" Rock Man announced as he became visible and aimed a Vulcan X Battle Card at him from behind him.

"Ho-Hoshikawa – dono! H-how did you escape?" Milosevich gasped as he looked over the right shoulder.

"I got some help. Now… Will you be as kind as to tell us how to stop this petty scheme?" Rock Man questioned.

"Heh! Since you're skilled at tech then give it a try yourself, Hoshikawa – dono!" Milosevich smirked.

"Look, Prof, we're not here to play guess games and…!"

An interphone installed in the desk beeped.

"Milosevich! Be careful! Hoshikawa & company are roaming free!" Hyde reported over it.

"They're here, in the control room! Hurry it up!" Milosevich yelled.

"Guess it can't be helped… Harp Note. Take care of those guys. I'll try to stop this stuff." Rock Man instructed.

"OK!" Harp Note smiled.

Rock Man focused on the console but soon began to look annoyed.

"… By all the…! There's not a single label…"

"Label Man was lazy! Mwah, hah, hah!"

"What do people have against labels, anyway?" He muttered.

"Dunno." War – Rock shrugged.

"Hmmm? Maybe this would do…"

Rock Man had spotted the mysterious red-colored button set in the black panel which was clearly distinguishable from all others.

"Don't touch that!" Milosevich uttered.

He suddenly jumped off his revolving chair and closed his arms around Rock Man's neck: there suddenly was an explosion and the door blew open: Phantom Black and Assassin Shinobi stepped in.

"Harp Note!" Phantom Black cursed.

"Oho… I wanna smear my _katana_ in your blood, woman!" Assassin Shinobi sounded psycho and eager again.

"I won't let you pass forward! Try it and I'm gonna blow you away!" Harp Note challenged as she drew two Sword Fighter X swords.

"Let go of me, you!"

Rock Man was struggling to get Milosevich off his back: he turned around and made his head hit the table thus accidentally hitting the mysterious button.

"Mr. Hyde! Come to my aid! You bunch of cowards!" Milosevich scowled.

A loud siren reminiscent of a wolf's howl began to echo all around the base: Phantom Black and Assassin Shinobi stopped in place.

"What… There's a wild wolf 'round 'ere?" Assassin Shinobi wondered.

"You fool! That's the "red device" alarm! Run for your lives!"

Both of them warped out of the room while Milosevich also ran out along with two anti-radiation-suits-clad men who came up from the lower level as if he was gonna be slaughtered alive.

"Gra~h! Run for it!" Milosevich yelled.

"What's wrong with them?" Harp Note wondered.

A bolt of energy jumped off the accumulator device and melted the Plexiglas: it hit the control console and fried it.

"What in the…!"

Rock Man and Harp Note looked through the melted Plexiglas window: the accumulator was sparkling and seemingly unleashing energy at random.

"Guess it wasn't an override, then." Rock Man muttered as he got a sweat drop on the right side of his head.

"And this is now unleashing the stored energy…!"

"Hey! If there's no energy then ya can't control the machines, right? Then that means the fog will eventually dissolve, right?" Harp brought up with a smile.

"Che! There goes clever-mouth again." War Rock grumbled.

"Pororon! There goes brute-mouth again." Harp complained.

"Wha~t? Repeat that if ya have the guts!"

"Brute-mouth!"

"Clever-mouth!"

"Brute-mouth!"

"Clever-mouth!"

"BRUTE-MOUTH!"

"CLEVER-MOUTH!"

"Shut up, both of you!" Rock Man and Harp Note scolded.

"Hmpf! Che!" Both played the offended.

"Let's get outta here!"

18:41 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Professor! What do we do about the General?"

"Forget the latecomers! Seal this up!"

Milosevich and all the staff were running out using the secret entrance and one soldier approached him: Milosevich growled and brusquely signaled the entrance.

"R-roger…"

"Not so fast!"

"That's as far as you come!"

"Bloody hell!"

Rock Man and Harp Note suddenly ran out and aimed their weapons at the group: there was some commotion on the outside and the door was kicked open: some Satella Police commandos with their Battle Wizards came in.

"Nobody move! Satella Police! You're under arrest!"

"Hey! Where are Hyde and the punk?" Harp Note wondered.

"Knowing Hyde… He's fled to the Bahamas by now." Rock Man deduced with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Sure thing… I don't think he was in the mood to sink with the ship. He must've gotten disappointed."

"Obviously. The General denied him permission to liquidate me because he wanted to exploit my knowledge once the operation had been successfully implemented. I'd rather not cross paths with that man ever again: he's so cold that he seems to be an incarnation of winter itself."

"No wonder… Oh! Look: Detective Goyouda."

"Don't let them run away! Search every nook and cranny!"

"Roger, Detective!"

"Hey! Rock Man! Harp Note! Good work, you two! The fog has dissipated and now we're waiting for the machines to stop once the energy is depleted… But it'll take time to be able to study this from up close: our Geiger counters have been picking up crazy radiation levels caused by the accumulator." Goyouda smiled at them.

"That's why I said to seal the thing up!" Milosevich growled.

"Not before we make sure we've rounded everyone up… Send in the Emergency Squad!"

"Roger!"

"Huh? Watch out!"

"Wha!"

CLING!

A _shuriken_ suddenly hit the ground after Harp Note tackled Rock Man out of its way: a Trump card, the nine of spades, was attached to it: they all looked around and caught glimpses of a figure quickly moving from place to place until it vanished altogether.

"The punk!" Harp Note cursed.

"The nine of spades!" Rock Man gasped.

He picked it up and spotted some writing on the other face of it which was seemingly made with a stylized pen.

"… "Remember this, Rock Man! This isn't over. Once I gather enough power, I shall destroy you lowlife! And this comes from the Master of Hyde Mansion!" … He won't change!" Rock Man shrugged.

"Anyway… We solved this in less than 12 hours! That's gotta be the shortest incident ever." Harp Note giggled.

"Sure thing… It's over! And sometimes dumb luck helps you out."

"Mission: complete!" Goyouda exclaimed.

"HORRAY~!"


	6. Chapter 6: Realization

**Chapter 6: Realization**

10:04 AM (Japan Time), Sunday December the 18th…

"… Coming… Huh? Whoa! Subaru – kun!"

"Surprised? I decided to drop by."

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah… So you're gonna do "it" with Gino~?"

"Ox is gonna beat 200 Viruses alone."

"WHA~T? Then I'll beat up 250 Viruses alone~! That jerk! That smug-faced! That nitwit! That twit! Wait for me~!"

"Whoa. You sure know how to shake him off."

"Obviously. Bring up their rivalry… Mind if I take a seat?"

"Of course not… Go ahead."

Subaru stepped into a metallic room somewhere which belonged to Tsukasa: it had a bed, a table, two chairs and a cupboard plus a small cubicle which obviously was the bathroom.

A large poster of the Moon had been set on the ceiling above the bed along with a map of the Solar System: the table had a doll of some kind of robot as well.

He seated on the chair while Tsukasa seated atop his bed and placed the clutches nearby as well: he looked somewhat nervous at something and Subaru frowned.

"Tsukasa – kun…? What's the matter…?" He called out.

"Eh… Well. That's… Hum… I should've told you, but…" Tsukasa muttered.

"No, no. You needn't tell me what happened in Choina."

"It's not about that, it's about Hikaru…" He trailed off.

"Yeah, I know that he took over back then and…"

"But… Something's different…!"

"The chip implant keeps him restrained…" Subaru insisted.

"Huh… No, that's not it, either. I felt it ever since the day before we met again… Something's been different…!"

There was a knock on the door and both looked up.

"C-come in."

"Good morning."

"Master!"

"Dr. Lartes…!"

Dr. Lartes was a man on his mid 20s who had blackish combed hair and his eyes' irises were brown: he appealed as being over a meter and eighty tall approximately.

He wore a white medic's coat along with jeans and brown shoes: he also had a pair of reading glasses on.

"Sorry for showing so suddenly, but I wanted to tell Tsukasa the results of the analysis he requested." He announced.

"Blood analysis?" Subaru tried to guess.

"No. EEG analysis."

"EEG…? An analysis involving Hikaru?"

"It was supposed to involve Hikaru, but… I've reached a conclusion which I've worked upon to see how to sustain it and when I properly though about it then… It made sense." Dr. Lartes sighed.

"So, sir, the results…?" Tsukasa asked.

"Well. Ever since you came onboard… Hikaru didn't exist in your brain anymore. He hasn't been there. He was forcibly removed by an external force. Someone removed him. The chip implant has turned out to be pointless from the start."

"So that's how it was…"

"Hi-Hikaru's gone...? But… When could that have happened?"

"That week's Thursday…" Tsukasa sighed.

"Thursday? We met on a Friday, right?"

"Yeah. And I had returned on Tuesday. On Wednesday I went to Dream Island to breathe some fresh sea air and Hikaru suddenly said he wanted to switch for a few minutes. Given how I owe my mental sanity to him then I didn't protest. Hikaru returned control to me after about 5 minutes and said he'd had his dose of sea air. But he sounded… evil. Like he'd thought of something… I could feel it for the rest of the day. He was eager… He was looking forward to something. He was thrilled. He didn't bother me again that day." Tsukasa began.

"He surely detected someone coming and somehow realized the person wished to speak with him…" Dr. Lartes brought the right hand to his chin and looked thoughtful.

"Yeah. And then, on Thursday… Hikaru was all jumpy, like it was the day a new film came out into theaters and he wanted to see it no matter what yet I know he never cared for those. So I resigned myself and went out to the same spot, overlooking the "ghost ship"… And that's when it happened: I heard footsteps behind me and, without warning… Someone loomed over me and brought down a steel rod on top of my head! I was out cold for almost the whole day… I made my way back to the orphanage somehow and rested… I decided that Dream Island was no longer a nice place to be at and such I made my decision to go see you Subaru – kun. I didn't give it much thought, yet, checking my mail, I found one in the bin which was specifically addressed to Hikaru!" He explained.

"Who sent it?"

"The address was a fake but it read "dm lostkingdom com"… And I checked that "lostkingdom" could be split into the English words of "lost" and "kingdom"… And in Japanese those are "_ushinawatta_" and "_oukoku_" respectively… Yet I dunno who "DM" is or was or if it had a meaning to begin with. Can you pick up from this point, Subaru – kun and Dr. Lartes? I have a bad feeling about it…"

"Lost kingdom… Lost _legacy_…! DM… Darkus… Mors…! No! That was a hellish fake name…!" Subaru began to look like his anger was rising, for once.

"Subaru!" Dr. Lartes commanded.

"Ah! I… apologize, Master." He suddenly snapped out of it.

"I know none of us liked what that guy did but that's no reason to lose your composure like that." He scolded.

"I am sorry, Master. It won't happen again."

"Good."

"Darkus Mors? Who's that?" Tsukasa asked.

"That was the guy's alias! His real name is… _Prince Kuroban Howsad_ of the long-extinct On'Setsu Kingdom…!" Subaru made a grimace.

"Whoa! A prince!"

"Yeah. A prince… But he's not like Solo, a modern-day descendant of the Mu Empire… No…! That man… He overcame "death"… And "time"…! He lives on… 4,000 years after the demise of his kingdom!"

"E~H?" Tsukasa actually jumped off the bed outta the surprise.

"Sadly, that's true."

"H-h-h-how's that possible?"

"You know that human consciousness, in its simplest form, is just the interchange of electrical signal over the neural pathways of the brain, right? They realized that. And built a system into which to transplant a human consciousness as a program while storing it and preserving it! The vessel, the so-called "Ultimate Orb", was designed to be indestructible and to resist the passing of time, being protected against decay…! And Gino - kun happened to find it some time ago during a mission for "Dealer" which was the spark that ignited the fire!"

"Gi-Gino – kun… Was an agent of "Dealer"…?"

"Yeah! That's correct. King sent him to a faraway base occupied by some guerilla or militia and ended up stumbling into a sealed underground shrine where that thing was being kept… He touched it and became a slave to Kuroban: the jerk transplanted his consciousness file into Gino – kun's brain and used his body!"

"W-whoa!"

"He then retrieved the pieces of the orb which had been dismantled and split by the Mu Empire after their triumph… He lured us into their base and fought me head-to-head. Yet he almost killed me using a terribly powerful technique…! Boss managed to hack his bloody orb and forcibly forced him back inside! But the orb vanished… And we couldn't find it. The only thing left behind was Gino – kun, free from the control… He didn't have anywhere to back to so we brought him in…"

"So that's how Gino – kun ended here…! But if that Kuroban was the culprit, how did he do it? I mean, he lost the body and became trapped inside of his own artifact again, right?" Tsukasa frowned.

"True. Yet, a few days before we met again… Misora – chan was abducted and a ransom notice told us to come to an old abbey in France's Normandy coast. That place was a trap which I barely escaped alive. And with Burai's help we then placed some pieces of the puzzle together at last…! That guy had planned it from the very start! He had designed a new body using genetic tech…! And he's _still alive_…!"

"T-then… That's trouble, right?"

"Yeah. Far more than Hyde and his new punk."

"But where does Hikaru…"

"Come into this? Kuroban seemed to have made research before jumping into the scene. He could've learnt of Hikaru. Maybe he wanted someone to teach him better on how this world works. He's still half-way between his era and our era, after all. His Japanese is somewhat lacking in some spots. And what better way to ensure a backup that having someone who loves doing evil things with you? That must be why he contacted Hikaru!"

"Aha… I see… And Hikaru knew what was going to happen… But… Even if he split his consciousness… How could he force him to inhabit a human body? Kuroban's mind is like a program being run by his orb and the brain as secondary means, right…?"

"Hmmm… I'm stuck there." Subaru admitted.

"… Cyborg body." Dr. Lartes muttered.

"Huh? What's that, Master?"

"A cancelled project of Boss… It was supposed to be a human body fitted with a wholly electronic brain and implants on the CNS to help decode the instructions from it… So, you see, Kuroban could've found those files when hacking the mainframe and used them for Hikaru. And that means that Hikaru now legally is a normal human… Like he was your twin brother, even…" Dr. Lartes explained.

"Hikaru is… a human… a separate person…!"

"And this solves the enigma. By the way, what did the email itself say? Do you have it?"

"… "Come out tomorrow morning. Go to Dream Island and look at the ship. Switch. I have an offer for you. DM." … That's what it said."

"I see. Well… We won't have to worry about Hikaru messing with your brain anymore but about what he and Kuroban can spring up… And let's not forget about Hyde and the punk, either, but we can leave those up to the Satella Police. Hyde won't come up with something way too complicated on his own… He'll likely show up when he sees a ruckus to try to fight us again." Dr. Lartes told them.

The door suddenly opened and closed: Kiboyama had run in and looked both terrified and shocked given his white face: some slow pacing and a breathing sound could be heard walking down the corridor.

"It c-c-c-c-came~! They want to use me again! Subaru – kun! Do something about them! Please~!"

"W-what's going on, Giro – kun?"

"Hand over the body…! Hand over the body…!"

"No way! Kuroban's here? Wait! Why would he want to use you again? It makes no sense at this point!"

"Huh? True."

"… OMEGA!" Dr. Lartes yelled.

"… Aw man! Doc! That wasn't funny!" Omega laughed.

"You twit! You scared Gino to death! Come and apologize to him!"

"Ah! But he was doing nasty stuff, too."

"By all the…!"

Dr. Lartes violently opened the door and heard metallic footsteps running down: he cursed and slammed the door shut while apparently giving chase to Omega: Kiboyama sighed in relief and dropped into the ground while clutching his chest with the right hand.

"What fright!"

"Omega – san…!" Subaru grumbled.

"Mwah, hah, hah. That was a brilliant guy's idea, ya see~!"

War Rock suddenly appeared out of nowhere and showed Kiboyama what looked like a Polaroid: he gasped and began to utter something undecipherable while using his hands to signal denial.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah!"

"What's that? Huh? Che. Not this again!"

Subaru snatched the photo from him and saw that it was a photo edited to make it look like Tsukasa and Kiboyama were about to share a kiss: Subaru got a twitch over his right eye and ripped the Polaroid into pieces which he tossed into the garbage bin.

"Boss will hear of this. And he'll explode, too."

"Explosion Man, then!"

"What's this whole scandal?" Someone asked over an interphone installed next to the bed.

"Boss. Rock did it again."

"By all the… What did the jerk do this time?"

"Disguise Omega – san as Kuroban and give Gino – kun a fright and then come up with a Polaroid to make it look like Gino – kun and Tsukasa – kun are a couple." Subaru listed.

"WAR RO~CK!" The man roared.

"Yell Man, like Omega says!"

"I'M GONNA GO DOWN THERE AND LOCK YOU UP IN THE SERVE~R! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THE HARASSAMENT YOU DO TO KIBOYAMA, FUTABA AND SUBARU~! HEAR ME~?"

"Tune Moon Ace's newest extravaganza!"

"Grfjtx!"

"Run." Subaru icily told War Rock.

Some armored footsteps rang out and War Rock gasped: he warped out and seemingly tried to escape.

"COME HERE~! I'VE EXPLODED! NOTHING IS GONNA STOP ME~! NO – ONE HARRASES AND BULLIES OTHERS UNDER _MY_ WATCH YOU MORON! YOU FOOL! YOU JERK! YOU TWIT! YOU BULLY!"

"By all the… This is turning into the Fools' Ship again." Subaru looked exasperated and about to shatter from all pressure.

"Someone help us…" Tsukasa sighed in defeat.

"What can we do?" Kiboyama asked.

"Hope that we'll find a way to close this mess. Maybe if we lock War – Rock and Omega – san up… That could help War Rock get a lesson on being checked upon because no one has effectively managed to keep him on check save for that Corvus & Virgo duo…"

"Let's hope so…" Kiboyama grimly muttered.

"And let's hope no – one believes in such photos."

"Of course not… They're already fed up with that, actually." Subaru relived them.

"That's a good point, I'd say…"

"Well. It always depends on who you ask, if you want my opinion, Tsukasa – kun… Man. What a morning."

"Totally."

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! Catch me, Yell Man!"

"This guy…!"

"Over 'ere, Dr. Bones!"

"This guy…!"

"BEHAVE ALREADY~!"

"Heh, heh, heh!"

"Lovely." The three of them grimly muttered.

"O-oi! Blood! What do we do?"

"Not sure… I guess we're supposed to help Boss and Dr. Lartes…"

"Uh-huh… Looks like it…"

"Let's go, then! I'll help Boss. You help Dr. Lartes!"

"R-roger!"

"And now Sigma – san and Blood need to give them a hand to fully stop those two…! What craziness!" Subaru groaned.

"Isn't this curse ever gonna end?" Tsukasa moaned.

"I'm afraid not…" Kiboyama cursed.

"Jeez."

"Over here and over there~!"

"Up there and down there~!"

"War Rock! Enough!"

"Did ya say somethin', Brad Shad? My ears are burnin'!"

"OMEGA~!"

"Yell Man and Hysteria Man showed up there~!

"Sir Omega, sir! Be reasonable, sir!"

"Yo! Doc House XX! Dissect Bully Bull Ox!"

"T-this FOOL!"

"T-this MORON!"

"Yo! Rock! Let's go play Jumping Mad at the Central Hub!"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah. OK! By Origin and Ratatosk!"

"Where the heck did he dig those names from?" Tsukasa grumbled.

"Dunno. Guess a 21st century game." Subaru rolled his eyes.

"They seem to live half-way between that century and ours even."

"No wonder."

"Nebbie Grey is gonna paint Hyde pink!"

"And Hikaru is gonna shave that neo-punk _ninja_~!

"Oi! War Rock! Stop right there!"

"Sir Omega, sir! Please! End this, sir!"

"What a prelude to the year 2206, really."

"How lovely!" Kiboyama groaned.

"We're doomed."

The three of them groaned in defeat while the ruckus kept on…


	7. Chapter 7: Girls' payback

**Chapter 7: Girls' payback**

17:44 PM (Japan Time), Sunday December the 18th…

"… Nya~h! I am out of inspiration! Shinobi!"

"Command me."

"Give me an idea! Whatever! The first thing which comes to mind!"

"Eh, but… Hum…"

"So? Speak!"

"A-ah! Eh… T-that's… eh… a drama, maybe?"

"That's too big of a word! Narrow it down!"

"Narrow it down…? Huh… A trap…?"

"No, no! That won't do, either!"

"Bear with it. When Hyde is bored then he tries to use to make up for his lack of inspiration…"

"I knew it, yet I don't really care…"

"Phantom! Stop chattering over there like a parrot!"

"Parrots only imitate what other people say, Hyde…"

"As if I cared!"

"Eh… Steal a luxury parrot and demand ransom…?"

"AH NO! That's the act of a vulgar plebeian! That won't do! Something else! Something higher!"

Hyde was pacing around a room somewhere which looked like a manor's living room: he looked and sounded impatient: Phantom was sighing and Shinobi was kneeling nearby while looking somewhat nervous and unsure of what to say.

"Steal a WAXA spaceship and sell it to a gang of pirates would do? Or sell it to a foreign government…" Phantom suggested.

"Well… But that'd be too… vain. Vain! Vain!"

"No good." Phantom grimly muttered.

"Vanity! This world is filled with endless vanity! Vanity of the mind, the body, the soul! Vanity of humans! Vanity of the audience, the public, the critics! Vanity everywhere! Unending vanity! All those out there are filled with vanity and lack of personal criteria to judge things!" Hyde exclaimed as he quickly circled around the room.

"Then should we make them wake up from their vanity to meet a sudden yet painful end, Hyde – sama?" Shinobi ventured.

"Hmmm… Ideals always demand some sacrifices. Yet… No! Acting at this moment is risky. They could be waiting for us. No! Let that Kuroban man make the first step. And we will act under the curtain he sets around us: by acting in a foreign country our detection will be harder for the Satella Police and by the time they're done with Kuroban then we'll have vanished off the radar! I could manipulate other parties into staging some ruckuses which would help cover our activities… But my aim is not a fortune! Fame! Fame! I will rise to fame as the greatest scriptwriter ever who will direct the ultimate drama in which these planet's fools shall experience the raw fear and terror!" His mood suddenly brightened and he began to laugh.

"Bad idea, dude." Phantom sighed.

"I apologize."

"Needn't to… I'm like you: a grunt. We're equal rank, ya know. Can't your pal say something about it?"

"Oi, Assassin! Whaddya think?"

"Za… Un… Ra… Eu…"

"You've got no idea what that means but ya hope there's gonna be rivers of blood? Sometimes I wonder if you're crazier than me."

Assassin shrugged, Phantom sighed again, Shinobi looked doubtful and Hyde kept on laughing…

18:05 PM (Japan Time)…

"… GRAH! BY ALL THE…! SHOW YOUR HIDES! THERE'S NO ESCAPING MY ANGER! YOU TWIT! YOU MORONS! YOU IDIOTS! YOU IMBECILES! YOU NITWITS! YOU FOOL!"

"What's up today, Urakata – san?"

"Sabotage! The old geezer who I shooed away a few days ago didn't get the message at all!"

"By all the… I'm so gonna report him for sabotage and perversion."

"Do it! I can't bear this anymore! Now they've taken out the light-bulbs of _all_ spot-lights!"

"But where would you hide that…? Have you tried the pools outside? They could place them in a water-tight compartment…"

"Pororon! Sure…"

"By all the…!"

"What a mess."

"Won't those geezers learn their lesson?"

Urakata Mamorou exploded into pure rage inside of Okudama Studios: Misora came outta her room, surprised, and so did Suzuka with her Wizard Ice: he ran off once Misora made a suggestion to him and the four girls grumbled.

"They're geezers: that's why!" Misora cursed.

"We're not even 15 yet! We don't care about money: we act and sing because it makes people happy! We only strive for the public to feel content! It's not a matter of luxury or contracts!" Suzuka cursed.

"Totally! As a manager, I am truly angered on this topic!" Ice exclaimed as her temper began to rise.

"Pororon! Let's have Moon Disaster sing them his 10 – hour long _extravaganza_!" Harp suggested.

"Oh, I'd _love_ that! It'd serve them well: Misora's and Suzuka's combined payback!" Misora exclaimed.

"Let's ask Urakata – san for that geezer's name and send Moon Disaster there telling him that the guy needs musical inspiration." Harp formed a smug smile.

"Perfect bait! And once Moon Disaster starts then there's no stopping the guy! The Satella Police will actually be glad to have the guy crackpot on the geezer, too!" Misora continued.

"I like that, too!" Suzuka smiled.

"I approve, too! That's what happens when you mess with girls' feelings and their dignity!" Ice exclaimed.

"Found them! Like you said: inside of one of the pools… I'll have the fingerprints checked. Even if we have no newbie guys there could be someone accepting bribes out of working hours!"

"What's the geezer's name, if we may? We'll send him the worst possible nightmare."

"Uragino, I believe…" He frowned.

"Uragino Records Incorporated, then." Ice seemingly looked it up.

"YO, YO, YO! Who calls me? Huh? Aren't ya Harp Note?"

"Yeah. Listen! There's a guy named Uragino who lacks inspiration! Go provide it! Unleash your true power on the guy! And then you'll make it to the headlines and Top 10 charts!" Misora provoked.

"YO, YO, YO! Perfect! Count on me! Moon Disaster's 10 – hour extravaganza is enough to set everyone dancing!"

"We're leaving it up to cha." Harp blew him a kiss.

"YO, YO, YO! Yahoo~!"

Moon Disaster ran off-screen so Misora shut it down and blinked everyone an eye as they formed accomplice smiles…

18:11 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Satella Police HQ. What may I help you with?"

"There's a Wizard singing stupid songs inside of my company building! He hijacked the speakers! I want you to arrest him!"

"Name, please?"

"Uragino Records Incorporated President: Uragino Maligno!"

"Yo. Give me that call, Ryuusuke. I've been waiting for it."

"Alright, Akatsuki."

"Hello there. Did the Wizard say his name?"

"Moon Disaster, I believe!"

"Then we won't do anything."

"HUH? Why? I demand an answer, whoever you are! I'll complain to your bosses!"

A Satella Police officer had been answering to a call when Akatsuki took over and grinned while the caller protested.

"We know."

"Know _what_?"

"That you tried to force Hibiki Misora to ditch her contract with Okudama Studios and work for you, gramps… Urakata, the chief, told me. And I don't believe in coincidences given that sabotage work which is going on in there. I believe that's Hibiki's own payback."

"What? That little girl's payback? Why? I offered…!"

"That's where you geezers are mistaken. Money means _nothing_ to her! Be realistic! She's not even 15 yet. She's not a snob and egoistic singer in her mid-20s! My point? She won't accept any offers!" Akatsuki announced with a sigh.

"I-impossible!"

"And we can charge ya with perversion, too. I'm sure you'd eventually move into harassment." Akatsuki warned.

"Obviously." Acid muttered.

"N-no way!"

"Way, gramps. Oi! Moon Disaster! Do ya hear me?"

"YO, YO, YO! Acid Disaster, brother!"

"Jeez. Acid _Ace_! And I ain't your "brother", either! Did Hibiki tell you that this guy needed some inspiration so you came to showcase him your 10 – hour long extravaganza?" Akatsuki grinned.

"YO, YO, YO! Yessir!"

"NO WAY!" Uragino gasped.

"Yeah! And there's no escaping the guy. He'll chase you to Hell if needed until he ends his 10 – hour long extravaganza. That happens when you mess with prideful girls' honor and feelings. And since you're not being physically attacked and that's just like a neighbor who tuned his radio loudly then we can't do anything legally speaking, either. We're not here to solve neighbor quarreling." Akatsuki continued.

"I-impossible! No way! T-this… can't be happening!"

"YO, YO, YO~! Gramps! Fella! Let's dance the _Queen_ style! _We are the champions_! YO, YO, YO~! Yahoo~! Dance~! Sing! Jump! Slash! Cut them up! Drop! Kick! Punch! Shove! Dodge! Ram! And let's go for it again!"

"N-no more…!"

"Well! Moon Disaster! The rest is up to you. Let's blacklist this number so that he can't call bother us anymore. And remember, gramps. Wherever you run off to, Moon Disaster will follow you! Let this be a lesson you won't forget!"

"YOU LOWLIFE~!"

"Number blacklisted."

"A new interest, Akatsuki?"

"Aw man."

Akatsuki sighed and turned around to see Queen Tia standing there without looking impressed at all.

"None at all! A geezer bothering Misora who's being punished via Moon Disaster: ya get the point!" He summarized.

"Shidou. Incoming call. Unknown number."

"Detective Goyouda, maybe? Hello?"

"Mr. Butcher, it's been a while."

"By all the… Not another gramps."

"How times flies! I thought I'd talked to you yesterday and it's already been a week…"

"No, sir! It hasn't been 48 hours yet!"

"And my niece was telling me all about that creepy fog in the Yaeba Resort and how people there acted crazy for a while before it cleared up and was followed by some fireworks display…"

"Not "fireworks display"…! The weather controlling machines unleashing plasma and other forms of energy at random thus creating storms, snow and winds: that's what the thing was!" Akatsuki groaned.

"Ah! You sound better informed than me. I must be getting hard of hearing as of late, too."

"Someone go take care of him before he comes out in summer clothes and catches pneumonia!" Akatsuki cursed.

"I forwarded the data to his closest relative with a priority note: maybe they'll handle him." Acid reported.

"And my nephew told me about the newest tendencies on the city one of which is winter clothing in July… People are turning crazy! I don't see the point on it, really…"

"That's because we're in _freaking December_ not _blood July_! Get a hold of your head, gramps!" Akatsuki roared.

"Ah! See? Throat-ache! You've been ill with the flu, right?"

"NO~!"

"Then the influenza?"

"NO~!"

"Then a cold?"

"NO~!"

"Then…"

"Then nothing! My name's Akatsuki Shidou: Satella Police "Raid Troop" Member! I'm not the local butcher! Oi! Clean your ears with your cotton sticks! Ya hear me?" He yelled.

"The red moon? No, no. That's a fable. And there's no "Death Movement" either, that's a fable, too."

"Someone help me…! I'm about to go crazy with all this hysteria!"

"No wonder. Trying to conceal an interest from me…"

"Queen Tia! You're not helping it! I have alibis!"

"Then Hibiki?" She challenged.

"NO! What do you think I am? A pervert like those geezers? Well! No! I'm a decent guy! And Misora will end up going out with Subaru, even! And Dr. Yoiri forbids you from trying to drag her into your weird tendencies! Are we getting somewhere or I'm just wasting my breath?"

"Who knows?" She countered.

"Gra~h! That's it! I need "Sweet Candy"! A lot of it! And only then I will be able to calm down! Bloody them all!"

Acid sighed, Queen Tia shrugged and Akatsuki yelled in frustration as he banged his desk…

18:24 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Phew! Feels better without War Rock to bother you, really! I've been able to wrap up the homework by now. _Iinchou_ will be glad. And I believe Gonta is doing whatever he can to try to escape from the punishment of being forced to undergo a vegetarian diet…"

Subaru was reading a book while inside of his room: he looked somewhat glad and relieved to be alone.

"… Kuroban is out there with Hikaru… And now Hyde has this punk named Shinobi… And I'd bet anything that the guy uses the power of the _shinobi_ OOPArt… Wait! Maybe Kuroban will mirror that by giving Hikaru the Berserk OOPArt and the ability to solo Denpa – Henkan…! This could prove ugly, yet… Hyde would rather act after we're weakened. He'll wait for Kuroban to make his move and then jump in. We should try to split into two branches to tackle each one…!"

He suddenly looked up from the book and closed his right fist before he sighed and began to inhale to then exhale: he repeated the exercise several times before calming down.

"… No. I mustn't think of that now. Christmas is due soon and we gotta all look forward to it!" He smiled.

"Hiya~!"

"Whoa! Harp Note!"

"Surprised?"

"W-when did you…?"

"Oh. About 6 minutes ago?"

"You heard my words…?"

"Yeah. I think the same too but I feel in a good mood 'cause we taught a geezer a lesson by using Moon Disaster's extravaganza. The guy must be regretting it by now. Tee, heh, heh!"

"A-ah? Is t-that so?"

Harp Note had suddenly showed as sitting on the edge of the upper section directly over Subaru's desk: he looked surprised to see her there and she giggled.

"Anyway! I just think that we'll have a nice end to this action-packed year 2205! And if any geezers try to pull the same trick again then they get extravaganza up their ears. Tee, heh, heh." She giggled.

"T-that's clever, yeah…"

"So? Are we gonna go out to the cinema just the two of us? Put on the "Albert" look and then there's no – one who will recognize us! Tee, heh, heh!" She invited.

"G-gladly…"

"And your book is a real success. I know it doesn't cover what happened outside of the mansion back then but seeing your evolution fascinates me, really! It helps me understand you better, Subaru – kun. Ah. But there's no need to keep this on." She giggled.

She released the Denpa – Henkan and jumped down into the ground level while looking around: she formed a smile and then looked at Subaru who was seemingly unsure of how to behave.

"You have a chocolate stain there, on the chin! You've been eating chocolate, eh, Subaru – kun?"

"Ah! Eh! Huh… T-true…!"

He quickly picked a handkerchief and cleansed the chocolate: Misora had picked a chair and stretched while Harp orbited around her and looked amused.

"Alright! Subaru – kun! Let's make sure to protect our treasured Brother Bands no matter what happens! Deal?"

"Deal, Misora – chan!"

Both clasped hands and grinned while Harp giggled…

**THE END**


End file.
